Five Days later
Inside Leo's room, he is sitting on his bed, giving his katanas a polish not to let them rust. Only he is just polishing his one katana while his mind is thinking about Ginny. He let out a sad sigh; that hurtful look on her face hurt his heart.
It has been two months since the new turtles have been staying and two months since Ginny hasn't gotten over her depression. Everything they did to help her hasn't worked; not even trying to get her out of her room has seemed to motivate her. All she can think and focus on is the fact that her family can't see her again, and she won't see them again. Leo doesn't blame her; the thought of losing your family is the most hurtful experience that can happen to anyone.
While thinking about Ginny's pain, his mind returns to the Prison Dimension. He remembers the pain the Krang blew on him and getting tossed around like an unmovable doll. His grip on his katana handle tightened as his hands began to shake, and his eyes brought tears. He then started to breathe slowly, closed his eyes, and counted to ten each time he let out his breath. It was a technique their Yokai therapist taught them whenever he started focusing on that horrible experience. After releasing his breath and counting to ten, he stopped. Then he set his katana down and sighed.
Leo knocked on Ginny's door. He inhales in and out, calming himself down. "Ginny? Can I come in?" He asked her, hoping that she was alive and could hear through the door.
Then he heard a soft voice replying back. "Whatever..."
He grabs hold of the handle, opens it, and enters inside. He froze upon seeing Ginny in her current state. Her eyes are red and swollen from crying, her long blonde hair is messy and looks like it hasn't been washed in weeks, and she is lying on her stomach on her bed as she holds a pillow close to her. He sees the food that he left this morning is still sitting on her desk, seeing she didn't even eat it. He frowns sadly; seeing her like this is enough to make him feel bad that they can't help change them back.
He then sat on her bed next to Ginny as she lay still. After a moment of silence, Leo spoke to her. "Ginny, I am so sorry for what happened to you and how things are getting out of hand. I-I never meant for this to happen." He apologized to her. "I thought If we can get help from Draxum, we might take you back to the surface, and things would go back to normal." He sighed sadly. "But clearly I was wrong. I'm so sorry, Ginny."
He looks at Ginny. She didn't move from her position or turn her head towards him. Fresh tears fall from her eyes.
Leo frowned sadly; his eyes started getting teary. "I supposed you believed I don't know what it's like to be away from your family. But I do." He continued. "When I opened a portal, and my brothers didn't arrive with me, I was scared and worried. I thought pirates had taken them. And..." he paused, his hands shaken. "..when I was in that prison dimension, I thought I might never see them ever again."
Ginny moved her head up a bit and turned to face him; her eyes still had tears. "What do you mean?" She asked him, hearing that last part.
"A year ago, you remember the alien invasion?" He questions her about the Krang invasion. Ginny gave him a nod; she remembered it very well. He sighed and continued. "My brother, Raph, sacrificed himself to the Krang to save me. I was so scared; I was afraid they were going to hurt him. I risk my team to go and get him back, but to find he got possessed by the Krang." His voice cracked, remembering that horrible day. "We fought, and I was so scared to lose him. And when I was sure they were safe and away from the technodrome, I stayed behind to keep their leader, The Subprime Krang, in the prison dimension. I thought I couldn't make it.." his eyes let out tears, crying a bit and his body shaking. "Luckily, my brother managed to open a portal and got me out. Yet, every night, I get horrible nightmares of returning back to the prison dimension and getting beaten by the Subprime Krang. Being tortured and pulled apart...I couldn't sleep for a week." He then sobbed with his hand covering his eyes.
Ginny pushed herself up and sat right next to Leo. She can never imagine what it must be like to go through it after facing a near-death experience, but her guess is that it was the only thing to keep the Krang from returning to Earth.
Leo sniffed, and fresh tears rolled down his face. "But...I did what I had to for my brothers, father, and sister to be safe." He choked a sob.
A hand reached out and wiped his tears off, causing him to turn and face Ginny, who was wiping his tears away. She stares at him with soft, vivid blue eyes, the softness that can soften anyone's heart, even Leo's.
"So...you were the one who stopped that invasion?" Ginny asked him.
Leo let out a soft chuckle hearing that question. "We'll, me and my family, played our part in it." He nodded. He may have put the Subprime Krang back in the prison dimensions, but his brothers helped by moving the technodrome and April with Casey and Splinter by stopping Sister Krang.
"If you four are the ones who did it, why didn't you and your family get rewarded as heroes?" Ginny asked him curiously. "All would accept you."
Leo smiled a bit at her question. "It would be great if we did, but I got a feeling no one would believe that a group of mutants saved the earth when pretty much all the world feared the unknown." He answered her question.
Ginny can see what he is saying. No one would believed that a group of mutants would stop the greatest threat to Earth kind and treat them like equals with the world so rotten and refuse to understand. "I supposed that makes sense. With the whole alien taking over and stuff." She added with a fact. New York was shaken from the invasion, and they didn't need more out-of-world surprises.
She let out a sorrowful sigh, then looked down at her hands. "But thanks to this mutation, I can't return to my family." Her voice was stained with emotions. "And now they are gonna be homeless and starting...they can't get enough money without me..and Jacob.." her eyes grow, tears with the thought of her baby brother. "My sweet baby brother.." she closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks. The idea of no one being able to take care of her little autistic brother hurts her greatly.
Leo frowned sadly, seeing her in this state. "I'm really sorry, Ginny." He apologizes. "If I were in your shoes, I'd feel that same fear for them."
Ginny started sobbing, this time more broken and hopeless. She was pulled in for a hug by Leo, who pressed her face on his chest; her sobs muffled against his chest while her tears landed on his sash. She kept sobbing, releasing her sorrow and worries into her cries.
Leo hugged her tightly, rubbing her shell in a comforting way while listening to her cries. Seeing her so broken and miserable while worrying about her only family causes Leo's soul to feel her pain and hurts his heart as well. He held her close while hearing her sobs, trying his best to comfort her. He let out a soft sigh. Leo can't stand seeing her like this anymore, he can't let her spend the rest of her life living in worries and regrets. He wanted her to live, be happy, and look alive, too; she was close to being dead from letting all the anxiety and depression drain her dry. He tightened his grip around her.
"Ginny." His voice was soft but comforting. It caused her to look up at him from his chest. He stares down at her, staring into her hurt eyes. "I promised that I will do anything in my power to keep your family safe and out of the streets, even if it means risking everything to keep it that way." He vowed with sincerity and protection. "Ninja's Honor."
Ginny stared up at him with teary blue eyes. "You mean it?" She asked him.
"I do." He nodded at her. "I can't go back on my honor. I mean it in the words of my Hamato ancestors." He answered with hope in his voice.
She wiped her tears off, feeling a little better when he gave her his word. "Thank you, Leo." She thanked him, till her frown returned to her face. "I just wish...I can see them again." She added with a sad expression in her voice.
Leo let out a frown. He crossed his arms, tapping his fingers on his forearms, and looked away with a thinking expression. A thought comes to mind, but it would mean the risk of getting exposed and getting into trouble with Splinter. But he has to make Ginny get back on her feet. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and looked down at her.
"Ginny, come with me." He told her. "You need to be away from your room for a while. Hang on." He then leaves her room, leaving her alone.
"Wha? Why?" She asked before she watched him leave.
Till he came back, a light blue hoodie in his hands, in his size but wide enough for Ginny. "I think it's time we get some fresh air." He answered.
Ginny looks at him with a confused expression. Not understanding what he meant and what he brought the hoodie for.
A manhole cover opens, and two hooded figures from the sewers come out. One closes the manhole while the other looks up as if looking at the sky. Under the hoodie, Leo looks at the figure as Ginny's face peeks out from the hoodie. She stands still while looking up, as if she is seeing the sky after two months of staying in the shadows.
After a minute or two, Ginny ran off. "Ginny!" Leo shouted, chasing after her.
Ginny ran to a familiar apartment and climbed up the fire escape with Leo behind her trail. She climbs up all the way till she reaches her destination and looks inside through a window.
Inside, the family looks so sad. Owen and Ethan are making dinner, but they look so upset and look like they are in auto mode as Owen chops the cutting board slowly and Ethan stirs a pot slowly. Their grandmother looks pale and empty in the eyes as she rubs the shoulder of a crying Grace sitting by her side and the back of Jacob, who is sobbing on her lap as he holds his favorite Jupiter Jim toy. The sight of her family looking so lost and sad breaks her heart.
"Oh god…this is worse than I thought.." Ginny sobbed softly as she started crying.
Leo catches up with Ginny and sees the state she is in. He looked inside and saw her family frowning. They missed her just as badly as she missed them, too. He pulls her in a hug, holding her tightly. "Hey, hey. Please don't cry." He said, comforted.
Ginny pushed away from him. "But look at them!" She pointed at the window, her eyes filled with nothing but tears. "They all think I'm dead now! I don't know what to do now…" she let the tears fall down her face.
Leo let out a sigh. He brought her to the surface to help her get closure, yet seeing her family missing her has opened the wound. He knew he couldn't take her back when she was still hurting again. If he let her go talk to them, they will not believe she is still the same Ginny they know and love deeply. Then, an idea pops into his head; it's crazy, but anything to help the two.
"Ginny, I need you to stay right here." He told her. "I'll be back."
"What?" She blinked, confused.
"Just stay here, and hide in the shadows. Okay?" He instructed her.
Ginny is still confused. "okay?" But she agreed. With a nod, Leo jumped off the fire escape and ran off, leaving Ginny alone and wondering where he was going.
Once he is out of sight, Ginny looks back inside the apartment again. She watched her family in their graven state.
"Please don't cry, Jacob," Sofia begged as she softly rubbed his back.
Jacob sobbed, holding the toy close to his chest. "I want my sister back!!"
Owen stopped chopping mindlessly, sighing sadly. "We all missed her, Jacob.." he spoke with a weak voice that was unlike him. "The police looked everywhere for her and said they can't find any lead of her." He informed him. Two months and the police can't get any clue to their sister's disappearance.
Ethan slams his hand to the countertop. "I knew taking that job at TCRI was a bad idea!! Those creeps can't be trusted!!" He shouted, upset and angry. After their sister was repotted gone by Rockwell, Ethan blamed him for not looking after her too well.
"Yeah." Owen can't help but agree with his older brother.
Ginny frowns deeply at this. They believed that TCRI was linked to this. She never knew that TCRI had a secret room that held the very thing that changed her and the other lives ultimately. After working for them for months, she was told never to ask any questions or get involved with their projects. How can she fail to see what was really going on?
Suddenly, Leo came back behind her as he tapped her shoulder, causing her to turn around and see an envelope in his hand. How did he get it, and where did he get it from?
"What's this for?" She asked him.
"You'll see." He answered, sliding the envelope inside through the window crack. The two turtles watched.
Jacob moved his head up inside to wipe the tears and snot off his face when he saw the envelope on the floor. He stands up and walks to pick it up, then gives it to his grandmother to read.
"What did you get there?" Sofia asked as she grabbed the envelope, opened it, and pulled out a sealed letter. She started reading it, till a tear fell down her cheek and let out a soft cry that caught the other's attention.
"Grandma?" Ethan asked, concerned only for her to hand it to him, letting him read it as he read it out loud for others to hear. "My dear family, I am alright. I have been transformed into a successful job in the Bronx, one that can pay me well. I know the news said I have disappeared; I suppose you can say I got a guardian angel looking after me and looking after you too. I promise to keep you all updated; please take care of the siblings and grandma. Lots of love, Ginevra." he read. After he was down, his eyes got tears falling down.
"I knew she was not dead!!" Grace shouted.
The whole family hugged each other, sobbing in joy and relief. Jacob held the letter in his heart as he cried with the family.
Ginny turned to Leo, who was smiling at her. "Why did you make that up?" She asked him, not understanding why he wrote a fake letter to her family that said she got a better job elsewhere.
"Would you rather I tell them the truth that you are a mutant living under New York?" He asked her, causing her to let out a huff. Leo ran off to April and asked her to get him a paper with a pen and an envelope. He figures that if she can't see them face to face, the least is to send them a sign that she is alive without revealing herself. "They need to know you are alright, even if it means to make up an excuse to hide it." He answered.
Ginny glared at him, clearly not happy with the idea of lying to her own family. "I am not happy that you lied to them, but…" she softly sighed. ".. I'm glad you are trying to help. Thank you, Leo." She smiled softly, feeling relief.
"Ninja's Honor." He mentioned his promise to her.